Content Swippers

Michael Lodge, NCPM
Nationally Certified Mediator
Lodge & Co.

Phone:  305-824-963
Email:   info@lodge-co.com

​Website:  www.lodge-co.com

Everyday I get up early and start to create the posts that I want to spread out over social media several times a day.  I get up, blurry eyed, trying to get my eyes open, and begin writing content, or finding content that I can use.  We are always told we have to work on our branding on a daily basis.  Get the name out so people know who we are.  But to do that we have to develop content that matters to a lot of people.  Something meaningful they will remember us by.  Now that is a very tough job.  Especially at 5:00 a.m. in the morning.  It has to be done.  To me content is the most important aspect of self promotion and branding, but it has got to be good stuff.  Otherwise we swipe.

I have read so many articles on content and how long people stay on your content when scrolling through social media.  Now on Instagram I am a fast scroller.  I zoom with my thumb swishing through the pictures.  Same on Facebook, I zoom  They say a person stays on an image for 6 seconds or less before the swipe and go to the next.  That means your content has got to be something special.  That is a lot of pressure.  I am not creative, I am a numbers guy.  I mediate business disputes, so my content ends up more of a good feel learning experience and I am hoping you will remember my logo and name.  It is a daily process that has to be done.  They call it consistency.   Everyone has to do it, the baker, the shoe sales person, the cosmetic, the accountant, the attorney, me the mediator.  We have to do it because it is called branding

Now I read an article that said, if your web site or content does not attract a reader in the first 15 seconds you have lost them.  It is called the "15 second rule".  That is more pressure on me every day to get some type of blog, vlog, podcast or post out there several times a day with a different message on it.  It is the same process of making that impression in real life meetings in that first few seconds of meeting.  Thank goodness in real life people can't swipe us away in person, well some do.  I have noticed that when I am on Instagram or twitter, I am a rapid swiper.  I don't even think on some posts I am there longer then 3 second.  Swipe.   

If you are not writing your own content, you should from time to time.  Just so you know how important content is.  How we write our emails and letter.  How we prepare are content for meetings.  Our phone conversations.  And what we write on social media, all has to be paid attention to.  And if you don't understand the process and the importance, then you may be wasting a lot of money paying someone else to do it.  Otherwise, swipers like me will just go past you and never engage.

Content has got to lead to some form of engagement.  Engagement is the hard part because the content has got to be of interest to the swiper before he swipes.  Social media has created the results of a fast society of people who want to get everything right now.  The content we are writing and delivering has to deal with this type of thinking.  Pictures and sounds have become the donuts to us who swipe.  By the way, if there is a picture of a doughnut, I will say a little bit longer before I swipe.  I pause for doughnuts.  Maybe too much information there.  But I think you know what I am getting at, we need to focus on our content more as businesses and professionals.  It is hard to do, so let's all post doughnuts for our content and leave it at that.

I use to hate the word "content".  In fact I think I did a podcast on it about three years ago on how much I hate the word "content".  It was becoming the in-word to say.  Everything you read it was about content.  However, once I started to produce content I found out, it is hard work to be creative every single day and product quality content that may reach people - or not.  All we can do - keep working at it.

​If you like my blogs and podcasts, support me by going to:
www.buymeacoffe.com/michaellodge